Three Ghosts of Love
by DisneyLover16
Summary: The Three Ghosts of Love have one goal: fixing up relationships. They're like the Christmas spirits, but for love instead. One night, Austin Moon gets a visit from the trio who try to fix up a messy break up from long ago between him and Ally. Thing is, why the break up? Why try fixing it now? More importantly, will Austin and Ally get back together? Based on A Christmas Carol.
1. Going Downhill

**Ooh, hi there! Well, before reading, I want to give a shout out to WritingWithReason (formerly known as XxForeverDisneyGirlxX) because she helped me out with this by doing a beta read. :D So, yay! :) And, if you haven't already, you should read some of her fanfics too. Because one, she's an awesome writer(well I did pick her to beta read this, so she has to be good :P), and two, she's just awesome. :D**

**I hope you enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing! :D …Well, technically, I do own… *looks down* This shirt. And, uh, *looks around room* this room…? XP**

* * *

I open up the door to my apartment and throw my phone against the wall. I can hear the screen crack. Then, my phone falls onto the couch, which bounces off of the furniture and onto the floor. For some random reason, it starts to ring. But ignoring the device, I enter my bedroom and collapse on my bed. The covers are wrinkled and the pillow lies upside down on the floor.

I take my hand and wipe my hand down from my forehead to my chin. My eyes close shut tight so that I don't have to look at anything in this cruel, cruel world. Truth is, today has been a crappy day at Starr Records. No – it was more than that; today in general has been a hellish day. It all started this morning.

* * *

_Earlier This Morning_

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Groaning, I stretched out my hand from under the covers and slammed down the snooze button on my alarm clock. I blinked twice; waiting for my eyes to adjust to the brightness in the room. When I could finally see the time, it said – 11:33 A.M.

Wait. 11:33?! Oh, crap…

I'm late for a recording session today! Not just late by five or ten minutes though. No, I was late by nearly three hours.

I immediately jumped out of bed; throwing up the covers and letting my pillow fall on the floor. Running to the bathroom, I squirted toothpaste – too much that is – on my toothbrush and rapidly brushed my teeth. Then, I flung a handful of water on my face and wiped it off with a towel. Taking a comb, I then brushed through my messed up hair and, well, slightly messed it up again. What? It's how my hair always looks.

Walking into my closet, I randomly picked out an ordinary white V-neck shirt, worn out blue jeans, a black belt, and silver chains. I took off my tank top and pulled the V-neck shirt over my head. Then, I hurriedly put on the jeans over my blue boxers; attaching my belt and chains on them too.

Throwing on a pair of ordinary sneakers, I ignored the thought of eating anything, and grabbed my phone, car keys, and wallet before heading out of my apartment. This was not good. Not good at all.

As I headed out of the building, I noticed that the sky was a dark gray color, signifying a storm approaching. Though, I slightly unheeded the current weather, and opened the car door to my red _Ferrari_; putting the key hastily into the ignition. I twisted the key to start the car, but it wouldn't. It wouldn't start. Come on, come on…

After about a couple of minutes, I once again groaned in frustration. I instantly got out, and began walking to Starr Records instead. But, I realized that I was wasting more time by walking, so my walk turned into a jog, which turned into a run. While I was running to the studio though, the sky roared with a booming thunder, and a brightening jolt flashed across the sky. The cycle repeated itself – boom and flash, boom and flash. The oncoming storm made me realize that it hadn't crossed my mind to bring a jacket or anything to cover myself up. So, it made my run turn into a sprint.

The rain nearly came out of nowhere. It initiated with a cool drizzle, but swiftly transformed into a downpour of water drops; wetting my hair and clothes. I kept on running and continued to wish that my car had started in the first place.

Eventually, I reached the entrance to Starr Record's recording studio, and entered the lobby. I looked up at the wall clock and noticed that it was almost noon. 11:58 A.M. to be more precise.

Sitting in a chair with a magazine in her hands was Kira. Her eyes moved left and right while she held the magazine, until she looked up from the pages and looked right at me. Kira's mouth gaped open, and she sets the publication down. She walked in my direction and looked me up and down; taking notice of my appearance. Head to toe I was covered in water.

"Austin," she said. "My dad wants to see you up in his office."

I shrugged. "Oh, alright. What about the recording session?"

"Oh…" Kira bit her lip, but went on to tell me, "You don't have to do a recording session."

"Really?" Sighing in relief, I voiced aloud, "Well, thank God. I thought I was in trouble or something."

The girl looked down, but left after noting, "Um, yeah… Just go up to his office." And with that, she went back to where she was before reading her magazine.

Going over to the elevator, I went in, and pushed the button for the floor that had Jimmy's office on it. A little tune of light elevator music started playing, and I couldn't help but to let my foot tap to the rhythm. When the door opened on the twenty-third floor, I headed to the third room on my left. My fist knocked on the hard wood of the door, and I heard a faint voice that said, "Come in!" I recognized the voice as Jimmy's.

I entered the room, and decided to sit in the chair in front of the desk. "You wanted to see me?" I asked. The chair squeaked in response due to me still being soaked from the storm earlier. Jimmy looked up from doing his paperwork and at me, eyeing the way I looked. I knew that I looked like I just went swimming at the beach, and didn't bother drying off. But, my mind was being an idiot today, and I never thought of bringing anything else along with me.

The head of the record label let his pen fall on his desk, and took out a magazine from one of his desk drawers. He sighed, and threw the article it was opened up to right in front of me. Jimmy said, "Austin, I'm not even gonna ask about why you're wet. But, I wanna ask, what is _this?_"

I hadn't seen this article, but I knew what it was about. About me. And, this wasn't one about one of my new songs, albums, awards, or anything like that. More so, the article didn't represent anything good.

It was an article about me being at another club. But, so what? I was just having some fun last night; just at a later time. That may or may not being around eleven to midnight… I'm twenty-one years old though; wasn't I supposed to be having fun? The problem was that the magazine article made me look like I wasn't giving a care in the world. Damn.

I tried my best to casually brush the topic of this off. "Yeah, what about this?"

Jimmy furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't give me that _'what about this?'_ tone! Articles like this have been popping up for months now!" Okay, so maybe this wasn't one of my boss's good days… Maybe he was just having a bad day. "Your behavior is starting to affect the record label itself. You acting this way is giving bad publicity to Starr Records!"

Immediately, I said, "Hey! It's not my fault the media made me look so bad!" God, the paparazzi these days. How could being at clubs at eleven o'clock be any of _my fault?!_

"No Austin, not all of this is the media's fault." Now it was my time to furrow my eyebrows. What the hell was his point? "This is your fault too."

I felt my hands clench into balls of fists. "Wait, how is any of this my fault?!"

"Your fault?!" His voice raised in volume. "The cause of this _is_ your fault! I mean, I just don't understand!"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that _maybe, _you or this record label wouldn't get any of this bad publicity if you behaved properly." I was given a stern look from him, and I gave a blank stare back. "You know, maybe if Ally, Dez, or Trish were still around, this wouldn't have happened."

I cringed at the mention of my old friends. Jimmy rarely brought up the topic of those three, possibly because they had left Team Austin long ago. The subject of the original Team Austin only had bad memories come back. Every time I've had to talk about them, my insides would tie themselves into knots, and I felt myself mentally reliving the events of the happenings.

I stayed silent.

"Jimmy, I promise I'll improve," I tried to convince him. But I suddenly remembered that that's what I've been saying the past few months.

Again, Jimmy sighed. "Austin, you don't need to improve. Not for me, at least."

I became confused again. "What? What's that supposed to mean?"

My boss stood up from his seat. "Austin Moon, I've given you many chances time to time to try to change your behavior. But now, I can see that you clearly can't!" I opened up my mouth to respond, but he cut me off. "From this point on, you are no longer a Starr Records recording artist. Consider yourself dismissed from this meeting."

My mouth gaped open. I wanted to scream and protest from him making the decision. But I knew it was already done. There was nothing I could possibly do to change his old mind, so I left. I left for probably what was the last time from Starr Records.

* * *

When I had left the building of my _former_ recording studio, I noticed that the rain had stopped, but it was still cloudy, and the ground had numerous amounts of puddles everywhere. It was also foggy, so I couldn't exactly see clearly in my surroundings. Only what was instantly coming right towards me.

Trying to cheer myself up, I called my girlfriend to meet me at The Melody Diner. Zoey.

Zoey and I have been dating for three years. I remember when I first met her after the original Team Austin broke up long ago. I was walking through the mall after _it_ happened, and she came up to me, instantly reading my mood. She offered to treat me to Mini's, to which I accepted as a way of her trying to cheer me up. She was overall, hot. Her body had the perfect curves, and her blonde hair and skinny self was entirely covered in mists of perfume. But, I liked it that way; I never really knew what the scent was, though it must be pretty good. The happenings of after us hanging out at Mini's… Well, things went from there.

Having agreed to meet me at The Melody Diner, she brought up that she had something to tell me. I hoped that maybe it would be something good to make my day better, considering this one is as bad as hell.

I made my way to the restaurant, and found the blonde already sitting down at one of the tables. By that time, I had already managed to dry myself off from the rain, but my hair was still in a bit of a mess, and my shoes still made the tiniest squeaks on the ground.

I attempted to make myself look as good as I could, and sat at the table she was at. "Hey, babe. You wanted to see me?" I gave her a flirty look; hoping that she would play along with me. I couldn't care less if this was in public.

"Oh, hey Austin… And yeah, I did want to see you…" Her voice gradually trailed off. I spotted her fiddling with her thumbs, which was one of her nervous habits. What was wrong?

Since Zoe seemed like she could use some cheering up from me, myself, and I, I offered to order something from her. "Cool. But, what about? I'll order a chocolate milkshake for you."

"Thanks, but I don't like chocolate, remember?" Damn. I always forget that she doesn't like chocolate. "And, I'm not hungry anyways. We just need to talk about…" Again, her voice trailed off.

"About…?"

Zoey took a deep breath and licked her lips. "Us." I nodded, slightly confused. "I want to talk about us."

"Okay…? And, what about us?"

Another deep breath. Another lick of her lips. My eyes pleaded curiously for her to instantly say for what was on her mind. "Look Austin, you're a really great guy."

I decided to wink at her. "I know." I also did a hair flip, but neither of those things wooed her like they usually did.

"And, me being your manager and songwriter, I know that you're really, really talented." The compliments don't stop with her don't they?

Now it was my turn to lick my lips. "Well, of course! _I am _world-wide famous after all."

"But, I'm breaking up with you."

And yeah, she thinks that – Wait a minute. "You're breaking up with me?! Why?!" What did I do wrong _this time?_

The blonde said two words. "You've changed."

What did that mean? _I've changed?_ I'm still the same old me!

I didn't say anything; Zoey chose to explain her reasoning. "Austin, you're not the same as you once were. You seem like the world just revolves around you."

Furrowing my eyebrows, I protested, "What?! I don't think that!" That is completely, and totally untrue. "I'm just really famous and awesome, that's all!"

"See, that's exactly what I mean!" She stood up from her seat. "You can't go five minutes without saying how awesome, amazing, talented, or great you are!" The volume in her voice lowered. "I'm sorry to say this, but you're just not the same kind and caring boy I met at first. You're selfish, self-centered, and extremely arrogant. Oh, and don't even get me started on how you go to clubs late at night."

I was speechless, unsure of how to respond to her mini rant. And so, Zoe sealed that deal.

She sighed. "I've been putting up with this for so long, hoping that you would somehow change back to who you once were, but I can't handle it anymore. We're through."

Afterwards, my now ex-girlfriend headed out of the diner. She left me alone at the table, silent. And right then and there, I was single again. Well, three years was a long time, but it just had to end now, didn't it… It was like all this time the entire relationship was a bunch of shit.

* * *

So, the day was absolutely horrible. Horrible as goddamn hell.

Both hands in my two front pockets, I walked through the rest of the Miami Mall. Well, more like idiotically sulking. Constantly, I would accidentally bump into someone or run into a door or wall due to me having my head down. I didn't even bother saying a "sorry" or "excuse me". No, I was too depressed and bothered by my own life. Because, as of right now, it totally sucked.

Not to mention the twinge of hunger that I got from skipping breakfast earlier. I was planning on eating at The Melody Diner, but when Zoey left after dumping me, I immediately lost my appetite for that plate of pancakes. It wasn't before long that I left too.

Continuing to mope around the mall, my ears suddenly perked up to a faint sound.

It was music. A faint sound of music.

There was a nice ring to it, but only making me just a little bit happier by just a little bit.

I lifted my head up and scanned the area of where the sounds were coming from. Then, I found the source, or _sources_, of the cheerful noise. But the location itself, I didn't exactly find so cheerful.

At least, in my opinion, it wasn't a cheerful place. Not for a long time.

It had been nearly three years since I had seen or thought about the music store – Sonic Boom. The last time I was there, I was with my _former songwriter._ Or rather, my _former, former songwriter._ The one brunette. But, I didn't want to think about that at the moment. I hated the memories of that.

In the store, there was an employee working behind the counter that I didn't recognize. Possibly a new worker. Possibly a new worker that was new three years ago. I didn't go deeper into it though. I didn't even care what he looked like. But, I couldn't care less of who my stupid brain visualized him as.

The brunette.

Over by the grand piano, there were two girls – one being older than the other. The older girl was sitting at the piano playing a vaguely familiar tune, while the younger girl was simply watching her. I imagined the girl's fingers naturally moving across the piano keys in order to create a soothing melody. Then, the younger girl started to sing along to the music.

"The me that you don't see is praying there's a chance you still believe. Tell me that I'm worth it.

And then, both of them were singing along. "I'll prove that I deserve it, and I can be the me that you don't see."

I knew this song now. I knew it all too well. It was the opening act of my first national tour right in Miami, and I couldn't have been more happy that night, since it took a huge step in my career. But, hearing that song now didn't feel right, even if it's not being sung by the person who wrote it. I felt disgusted hearing it.

Nothing about that song felt right to me.

Subsequently, I started hearing things. Tiny little voices inside my head. To add on to that, I felt myself only hearing one word in my mind, but the words bugged me. I don't even know why. Not just that though, I was confused by them too.

"_Always."_

"_Promise."_

"_Change."_

"_Break."_

"_Reasons."_

"_Possibilities."_

"_Flying."_

"_Pieces."_

"_Unite."_

What the hell did those mean? I didn't understand. Was my brain playing tricks with me? Playing mind games with me? Or was it something else? Maybe it was _this place._ I knew that it always brought bad memories. Memories full of fiery hate. Memories I hated reliving in my head. Memories I wished would go away.

I hadn't even stepped inside the store, and yet, I hated being in its presence. So, without taking another glance at it, I instantly walked away back to my apartment, tears nearly forming to sting my eyes.

* * *

The fog didn't really go away as I walked to the apartment building. It just stayed there, only letting up a tiny bit. I didn't know what was up with the weather though. Literally, yesterday it was perfectly sunny – only a few scattered clouds in the sky – and now, it had stormed with misty clouds of fog in the air. Though, since I had dried from the rain already, the forecast hadn't bothered me all too much. I just thought it was weird for things to be like that. But, whatever. Not like it matters anyway.

When I had gotten back, I walked inside the building, ready to pull out my room key, but I realized something from outside.

The parking spot in the lot that had my car parked in it. It was empty. _Where the hell was my car?_

Panicking, I looked in each and every other parking spot in the lot, to see if it was there. I looked in neighboring parking spaces surrounding the apartment. I looked everywhere. But no, nothing; I found no trace of my car, or where it could be. Could someone have hot-wired my car?

But, that's when I realized the next thing.

I never took out the keys this morning.

_And there's another idiotic mistake of the Austin Moon!_

God, I loved that car. If I wasn't so stupid to remember to take out the keys from the ignition, that definitely wouldn't have happened. Now I have no transportation whatsoever. I mean, walking I suppose was okay, but taking the bus or the train _sucked_. I literally couldn't stand being in those things. The people there always managed to somehow get on my nerves.

Knowing that there was absolutely nothing I could do about the missing car, I decided to go back into my room. I wished I could do something about it, but I never bothered to even remember the license plate number of the _Ferrari._ So, there was nothing I could actually do. Except for maybe get a new car. Problem was, even with the money I had, it was just enough to pay for my apartment, and I spent the rest on vacations and other luxury things.

_Again, another idiotic mistake of the Austin Moon!_

* * *

Now lying in my bed, I roll around on the mattress, trying to find a comforting spot, but I can't. Honestly though, I don't think anything can make me feel comforted or better right now. This is all too much. All in one day, I was extremely late for a recording session, my car wouldn't start, I got soaked in the rain, I was dropped as a recording artist for my now ex-record label, Zoey dumped me, I was hit with hateful memories from the past, my mind is still confused from those ringing words, my car gets stolen, my phone is probably at least half-broken from when I threw it, and now I'm laying here not knowing what to do.

I wish that I had someone to go to. Someone that I know so well that would be willing to help me out at any time, any place. It was evident that Zoey and I would most likely not even be on speaking terms anymore, much less be friends with. The three closest friends I had from forever ago are no longer there for me. My parents are usually out of town.

Which means I get to spend my time alone for a while. Is there even a reason for this? Is there a reason for why this happening? And, why? Why the goddamn hell did this happen to me? Because, since when did _I _make mistakes? As far as I could remember, I couldn't have made any major mistakes within the past few years… That was other people's faults, not mine.

Thoughts in mind, I allow to myself to just instead close my eyes, and let sleep come to me.

* * *

**I know the first chapter seems kind of… Dramatic. And when I say "kind of", I mean, "it is". But then again, it is a drama type story. XP But, uh… Idk. It just seems so overly dramatic, but I think I'll tone that down in the future. The profanity shouldn't be that bad either, just sayin'. This is my first fanfic with it, and it's kinda weird to have it because, well, I don't curse. :P**

**I should also mention that this fanfic isn't exactly my top priority at the moment because I'm currently working on, and will be finishing another one, before making this my main focus. Though, I did put a lot of work into writing this chapter meaning there was – *cough*foreshadowingandsymbolism*cough*. Asides that point, I apologize in advance if this doesn't get updated too often.**

**If you'd like to follow (to which I'll follow back if you'd like), my Twitter is MeLovesDisney and I can also be found on the Austin & Ally Wiki (still as DisneyLover16) if you need anything else. :D**

…**Should be about it. Even with this dramatic stuff, hoped y'all liked this so far! :) Until next time readers! :D**


	2. Author's Note

**Could you do me a favor and read through this note? Please...?**

Yeah, this isn't an update... It's kinda the whole "I'm busy and all that" type of excuse, though it is true. I've had a lot on my plate lately, and haven't been able to get to writing this second chapter yet. It's been nearly a month, and I feel kinda bad... Also, I recently "left" a wiki, and I had good friends there, so I spent the last week talking to them for the last time in a long time... It's sadder than you think it might be... But, yeah. I'm busy this weekend too, but my Thanksgiving break is coming up, so I'll probably update then. :)

And then, there's this other fanfic I'm still working on, though I am close to wrapping it up, so I'll eventually put more focus into writing this one.

Concerning this fanfic itself... Hmm, well, chapter 2 should be interesting... Though, it is a drama fic, so that would be kinda obvious. :P

Okay, so, yeah. That is all. Until next time, readers. :)


	3. Timeless Memories

**Sorry about this delay... It's been over a month since I published the story, and we haven't even gotten to the part with the three ghosts yet... ****But that doesn't matter now. Here's the new chapter, so, just go and read, kay? :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally or anything... Though I wish I did. :P**

* * *

I lay in bed rolling around to find a comforting spot. Nothing feels right though. When one part of myself feels at peace, another part didn't. It's just so frustrating, and I completely hate that. So, I continue to twist and turn on the mattress, trying my best to find the position to just fall asleep. I mean, I fell asleep earlier today not too long ago when I came back from the horrible day, but my body then recently tumbled onto the floor – meaning a _wonderful_ face plant with the carpet for me.

At first, I didn't even notice that I was on the floor. It was a sudden clap of thunder and flash of lightning that alarmed my sense. And now, I find it difficult to go back to sleep; hence my whole twisting and turning predicament.

Finally, I just give up. Give up. Who the hell needs sleep anyways? I've pulled off all-nighters many times before, and I turn out perfectly fine. Sure, I was tired the day after, but still. I'd totally be able to pull it off.

I don't know why I have this blanket on top of me. I mean, it's always warm here in Miami, so I take it off of my body, giving me the relief of coolness. The air conditioning is on twenty-four seven in my apartment; sometimes I would feel as if it were winter. It's not close to the weather I experienced the first time I performed Times Square on New Year's Eve, but close enough.

Then, I feel it get cooler than usual. It's not normally like this, but I suddenly feel a gust of wind along the hairs of my legs. Shivering from the draft, I turn my head to realize that the window is open.

Very lazily, I drag myself out of my bed to go over to the window to close it. What was it even doing open? I never leave the window open. There's always too much noise from pesky people from the outside. My hands push and pull the handles down, but they're as stiff as a board. At first, I think it's some jam, so I attempt to close the window twice as hard. It's no use though.

I sigh, and decide to just collapse back onto the bed. The pillow connects with my face, and I try to go back to sleep; taking back what I said about giving up on sleep. Lugging the blanket entirely over me, I take a deep breath. In all my power, I try to cast a spell of sleepiness on me by thinking of more peaceful things in life – the beach, the sound of my guitar, the bright sun tanning my skin during the day. And just when I think I'm about to fall asleep again–

"What are you doing sleeping? Get up."

Just like the window, my body stiffens. Eyes widening, frozen stuck in my position, I no longer had the desire to go back to sleep. There's someone in the apartment, and I don't recognize the voice, so I have no complete idea of who it is.

For a moment, I think. Well, not exactly. My instincts tell me to immediately attack.

Which I do.

Swiftly, I kick off the covers of my bed and punch whatever figure's in front of me. But I don't hear any yelp of pain. No scream, no screech, no yell, no shout, nothing. I hear nothing.

I freeze again, with my hand clutched in a fist right in front of me. The thing is; there's nothing there. There's not even anyone around.

Again, I think momentarily. Out loud, I murmur, "You're hallucinating, Austin. This is probably what stress does to you." I run my hand through my hair, and fall back on the mattress once again.

Then, I see it.

"Oh, this isn't a hallucination." The figure appears in front of me again.

I scream, _"Holy shit!" _And again, I try to hurt it. I perform a series of punches – jabs, uppercuts, sucker punches – but they all go through it. They all go through _it._

Continuing to scream in my bed, the – whatever it is – cuts me off. "Whoa, keep it down. You're going to blow up my ear drums or something." My heart beats faster than someone running the mile. Talk about a heart attack. "I probably should explain myself, shouldn't I?"

I can't give myself the will power to say anything back. No words could legitimately explain how much fear I have stored inside of me right now. The figure doesn't even look like... A person. I don't know what the hell that's about; it's got to be some weird costume. A weird costume that doesn't allow my punches to hurt the person.

The figure in front of me is dressed in a white robe of smooth silk that covers its entire body. The color white is pure, angelic, snowy white. Its face is of the same color as its attire. White. It does seem to have some sort of human resemblance, but I can see through its face; as in I could see the other side of the room if I looked into its face. That's not normal. How is that even possible? How is that _thing_ transparent?

"Alright, I'll make this short and sweet. I am the Ghost of Loves' Past. And, you, Austin Monica Moon, need to come with me on a little journey."

I try my best to process everything that this thing just said. Ghost? Loves' Past? Journey? "I'm sorry, but what? How do you know my name? What journey? How the hell did you even get in here?" My mouth pours out questions one after the other; my curiosity levels rising by the second.

The ghost raises an eyebrow at me. "Well, I'm a ghost with powers that automatically knows you and your past about love. That's all that there is to it." Casually, it shrugs, as if this is ordinary.

"I don't understand."

Then, it rolls its eyes and tells me, "Of course you don't. You're not the brightest light bulb, Moon."

Clenching my fists again, I recognize the insult. "Hey!" I don't take it so lightly, and attempt to punch the thing again. Just like the last ten tries though, nothing happens. It just snickers.

"Well, if you're done trying to punch me, we got a journey to go on. So, come on. Get up."

"Whoa, no goddamn way in _hell_ I'm going anywhere with you!" I tighten my fists and grit my teeth for the tenth time tonight. I'm not going anywhere with this thing. No way.

"Tsk, tsk," it says. "And, you need soap in your mouth too. This one needs a lot more fixing than I thought."

"What, what do you–"

The thing grabs my arm in a vigorous way, pulling me out of bed and over to the window. "Which means I need to take you out by force. Have fun."

And then it flings me out the window with both arms.

Having been on the twenty-third floor of the building, I scream in fear of dying. I don't want this to be the end!

But, I don't feel myself falling. I'm not falling. I'm just floating in midair.

Seriously, I have no idea what's going on anymore. It's ridiculous.

After realizing that I'm actually not going to die for once, the ghost itself comes out of my window, and seems to be floating too. "Okay, you ready for this?"

"Ready?! Ready for what? You just threw me out a window!"

"Yeah... But would you have willingly done it yourself?" I don't have time to respond, so it answers its own question by itself. "No, right? That's basic logic right there. Now, you just have to watch what I'm about to show you. That's it."

"But watch wha–"

"Boy, do you have a mouthful lot of questions." As it floats in midair, the ghostly figure snaps one of its fingers, and all of a sudden, we're flying through the Miami night at the speed of light.

And I end up screaming for dear life the whole way.

* * *

The journey to this place takes some getting used to, since I was begging, shouting, and pleading for the ghost to let me back onto the ground. This is the worst experience ever; I have so much hate for this thing right now, no one could understand.

I don't remember the place when we first land. There's a sense of familiarity to it, but then, the flood of memories starts to flow through my brain again. Being here makes me reminisce about all the experiences I've had over the years.

It makes me reminisce about the times with my former music team – Team Austin. Or more specifically, the times I had with my former songwriter.

The practice room.

The ghost takes a deep breath. "So, do you remember this place?" Giving me a smirk, he waits for an answer.

It's my turn to roll my eyes. "Yeah, I remember it alright."

"Good, and now, to watch the scene unfold itself."

"But, there's nothing to watch. All the furniture is here, but there's no one even in here," I argue confused.

Then, the white figure snaps its fingers. "Yeah, until now." Suddenly, the room becomes filled with a variety of colors and newer pieces of decoration. This including a black grand piano, pieces of Austin Moon merchandise, and various jars of pickles.

I then see myself and a tall redhead standing around the practice room surrounding by everything in it. Well, a younger version of me. What was I at the time? Fifteen years old? A brunette and another girl with black curly hair enter the room with surprise written on their faces. My face lit up with happiness as the brunette asking numerous amounts of questions walked over to him.

"Wait," I say. "Won't they see us or something?"

"Psh, no. This is just a memory of the past. Just watch already!"

"Alright, alright, I will if it'll make you shut up." With the ghost ignoring my backfiring remark, I decide to watch a past memory unfold itself in my brain, and right in front of me.

The younger version of me explained to the brunette girl, "I used the money I got from being on The Helen Show to pay for all this."

The girl's mood in return brightens up with great gratitude. "I can't believe you did this. Thank you." She looked at him in a warm heartedly way, now seeing that the room was no longer filled with dust and filing papers scattered on the floor.

"I figured we'd be spending a lot more time in here, so I thought we should make it as comfortable as possible."

The girl furrowed her eyebrows. "Uh, we?"

Then, I smiled. "I want you to be my partner."

"Spend more time with you?" Back then, I ignored the small insult coming from her, wanting to get straight to my point.

"You're a songwriter with stage fright? I'm a singer who loves being on stage!" I pointed out. "We're a perfect match! What do you say?"

Thinking for a few seconds, the brunette then replied, "We're partners!"

After that line, the four people in the room vanish along with the rest of the extra decorations that were just in here.

"So, did you hear that, Moon? _Perfect match?_" It puts a huge amount of emphasis on the last two words, and I take the hint instantly.

"Oh, I see what you're trying to do now! This is about _that girl_, isn't it?!" Before it has a chance to answer, I continue on, partially raging on the inside. "Ghost of Loves' Past? Perfect match? If you're trying to get me back with-"

And it was its turn to cut me off. "Why, you're a brighter light bulb than I thought you were! But, yes. Don't you see? Ally, is _the one_, Moon."

Scoffing, I state, "Seriously? Why would she ever be the one for me? There's too much history between us."

"Yes, that's exactly it! You guys have so much history together!"

I don't say anything at first. "I meant bad history..."

Once again, the transparent figure rolls its eyes at me. "You're so pessimistic. You got to look at the optimistic side of all this! Why you're friends and partners to begin with. All that bad stuff can be fixed later."

Fixed later?

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with. It's not going to change anything."

"Or will it..." I hear the ghost say to itself faintly. Ignoring what it says, more memories replay themselves right in the practice room as the ghost snaps its fingers for each one.

* * *

I did my best to comfort the brunette. "Look, don't worry about dancing with Dallas. Slow dancing is easy. Just follow the guy's lead."

"Do you think you could show me?" she asked.

"Sure." I turned on some slow music to help get in the mood of things and took my left hand in the girl's right hand. My other hand went around the small of the brunette's back; just by the back of her shoulder while her other hand went on my shoulder.

The moment I take a step, she said, "Aw, sorry! I just stepped on your foot."

"Actually, that was your foot," I replied. Teaching the girl how to dance was harder than I thought of.

In another attempt to get her more comfortable, I guided her. "Just follow me. You can do this."

And it wasn't before long that she was finally getting the hang of basic slow dancing.

* * *

"Who knows how long I'll be gone, I can barely speak," I sang. "Gonna miss you Austin, Dez, and Trish. I'm leaving for New York in a week." For a moment, I was speechless. Wasn't this supposed to be a new song that Ally wrote? It sounded more like – "This isn't really a new song, is it..."

Sadly, the brunette revealed, "The music school is in New York."

"I didn't know it was in New York!" I said.

The Latina agreed with me. "And neither did I!"

On the other hand, the redhead spelt out, "Guys, come on. M-U-N-Y? Music University of New York?"

My heart sunk even lower. "You knew?"

"Well, I'm not stupid." Think again. "Ally, I can't believe you're going to drive to New York and back every day for school! That's like twelve hundred miles!"

I mentally face palmed at the redhead's comment. And I'm pretty sure the brunette did too. "No, Dez, she's moving to New York."

Though, he wasn't exactly taking the hint. "And driving back here to hang out with us? Wow." He put a goofy smile on his face.

In an attempt to ignore the stupidity of the redhead, the brunette said, "This is really hard for me. I feel terrible."

"I feel terrible too," the Latina spoke up with some hope. "You're gonna call the school and let them know you're not going, right?"

Just when I thought things couldn't get any more depressing, the girl said, "I'm going to miss you guys too, but you know that I can't pass up this opportunity."

I wasn't saying anything, just listening to the conversation. The curly-haired girl continued, "We didn't know helping you meant you were going to leave."

"I just can't give up my dream..."

Almost in-sensitively the redhead said, "But it'd be kinda nice if you did." And then he quickly turns around, scratching his neck.

Then, the brunette took a few steps towards me. "Do you feel this way too, Austin?"

I was speechless. I couldn't really believe what was happening. "I just can't believe you're really going. Our music career is just getting started.

To all of us, the brunette then pointed out, "Don't you guys understand how important this is to me?" And with that, she walked out of the practice room, closing the door.

Of course, after doing some thinking about it, and being more sympathetic, the girl ended up staying with us in Miami.

* * *

"Remember when we sat at this piano and wrote our first song together?" I asked the brunette, a flashback going through my head.

She came up by my side. "Yeah, we've come a long way."

Turning to her, I said, "_You've_ come a long way. You were a different person back then. That Ally couldn't even have gotten on stage, but this Ally can!" I started to pet her brown hair as a way to comfort her.

"Please don't pet me."

Slightly embarrassed, I took my hand off of her hair.

"Thanks for coming over," the brunette said. "You really didn't have to do this."

"Hey, you're always there for me!"

"No, really," the girl argued. "You didn't have to do this. I talked to my mom and I'm ready to perform. But thanks." In a joking way, the brunette started to stroke my hair, and we both ended up chuckling at the gesture.

"Let's do this." She held out her hand for me to take.

Our hands interlocked together. "Let's go."

And with that, we headed back to The Jungle Café for our duet together.

* * *

Both of us covered in Zalien goo, the brunette admitted, "I really wanted this to work."

"Me too. More than anything. I just think being together is getting in the way of us being us."

"Things were great the way they were." I nodded in agreement. "Maybe we're not ready to be a couple just yet." And again, I silently agreed. "Friends?"

Though, I still grinned. "And partners. Always."

The two of us stood up, the brunette reaching for a handshake as I held out my arms for a hug. Then, the two of us switched, and we ended up laughing about it. This wasn't the first time it's happened. But, we decided to go for a tight hug with each other.

I allowed myself to smell her hair despite it being coated in bits of Zalien brains. Then the brunette asked, "This is just as friends, right?"

"Yeah, just as friends," I confirmed.

"Okay, but don't let go just yet." The girl held on tighter to me, and I mimicked the gesture.

"I wasn't going to."

* * *

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't have enough time to help you write your song," the girl apologized sadly to me.

But, there was nothing to worry about. I instantly forgave her. "I get it. You've got your own music to focus on now."

"We'll just have to figure out how to make this work."

Sweetly, I replied, "I hope so, 'cause, I'm always gonna need you, Ally."

The brunette beaming in response, she then said, "That's so sweet, Austin. Bear hug?"

Though, I rolled my eyes at the corny word play, I accepted her offer.

* * *

The ghost then snaps its fingers to bring us backstage of a stadium. "This is the only one not in the practice room," is all it managed to say.

Not saying a word, I simply watch whatever this scene might be. Honestly, I'm getting sick of all this.

Though, I instantaneously remembered this memory the moment the characters popped into the scene. It was from my concert in Seattle, Washington of my first tour. I had been called backstage for what was the third time, and was talking to a certain girl.

"I finally realized why I've had so much trouble finishing songs," the brunette revealed. "I need someone to bounce my ideas off of. I need inspiration. I need _you_."

Grinning, I replied, "That means a lot. I'm gonna miss you." Turning away from the girl, I knew I needed to get back to the people awaiting my performance quickly.

But, she grabs my arm as well as my attention. "Austin, wait. What's the point of going to a meeting with a bunch of unfinished songs? Wouldn't it make more sense to reschedule the meeting, and come in with finished songs?"

"Yeah, it makes sense to me." I nodded, getting what she meant, but not exactly what she meant at the same time. "Well, see ya."

"No, wait, Austin. I want _you _to help me finish the songs." Still, I was too stupid to not get what she was clearly saying. "I'm gonna stay with you for the rest of the tour!"

I finally understood what the brunette was saying and exclaimed, "Yes!"

The fans could wait. We pulled each other close together for a heartwarming hug.

* * *

Transporting us back up in the practice room, the white figure then says to me, "Okay, pay close attention to this one."

I furrow my eyebrows as my first reaction. "Why?"

"Just do it, okay?"

Rolling my eyes, I just come off with, "Whatever."

The brunette and I walked into the practice room, washes of relief on our faces. We were hand in hand, meaning that we were most likely together or something.

"I'm really glad that everything got sorted out," I said to her. "Who knew that Cassidy was coming back here to visit?"

"And still expected you to take you out on that date?"

That day was definitely something. Confusion and mixed feelings exploded everywhere. "Yeah, but, I really am sorry about not telling you. I wanted to let her down easy, you know? You're the one I really care about, Ally."

The girl beamed that smile she usually would at me. "That's sweet, Austin. But, promise me something."

"Yeah, anything. Name it."

Pondering of what this promise could be, the brunette then said, "Whether we're together, friends or whatever, I want you to promise that we'll forever be partners."

I nearly burst with laughter. "That's the promise? Ally, I-"

"Ugh, I knew it was lame." Her cheeks grew pink embarrassingly. "Just forget it."

"No, Ally, it's not lame." I knew that made her feel better as her cheeks shrunk back to normal skin color. "I mean, sure, it's cheesy, but not lame. But, I promise."

Her eyes widened with partial surprise. "Really?"

Rolling my eyes playfully, I assured her, "Of course. We're Austin & Ally. And, we're timeless. I promise."

* * *

The two characters then evaporated into thin air as the practice room becomes empty again. I'm not sure what to really say, so all I do is stay silent. For some reason, I find it hard to keep track of all these memories. There were just so damn many, and these were just a few of them between the girl and me.

But, what's the big deal about me and Ally? Sure, we had something for a while, but that all turned around. There's no use going back into the past to revive anything.

"Well," the ghost speaks up, a huge proud smirk on his face. "Good job on keeping that promise. I mean, really."

"Shut up."

The figure then tells me, "But, Moon, this is only the beginning of the journey." I can't help but accept that it probably is.

* * *

**Dang, these chapters are gonna be long... Well, that's kind of a good thing, I guess. :P Anyways... I don't think I'll be updating again for a long while... Probably until winter break that is. :| I have to start preparing for finals before then, so, yeah. Until next time, I suppose. :)**


	4. Changing Time Changes People

**Finally got the chance to upload this chapter. :) Sorry for the long wait... But enjoy. :)**

**Lol, the title for this chapter is lame. Sorry. :P If someone can come up with a better one, I'll change it. :P**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

_**Warning: Yeah, you already know about the profanity. But this chapter uses a bit more... Stronger words... I mean, I lessened the amount, but the words are stronger... Well, I did rate it T for a reason, you know. :P  
**_

* * *

"Seriously, how many more memories do we have to go through?"

After seeing a chunk full of flashbacks, I'm sick and tired of them. They were all gut wrenching and just outright painful to watch – for what reason I'm not sure – so I'm just having the _greatest_ time of my life right here.

The white figure rolls its eyes. "Oh, would you just relax? Those flashbacks aren't going to be as important as this one. This is a biggie."

"Seriously? _Biggie?_ What are you? Five?"

The ghost lets out a small chuckle. "Quite frankly, I've only been doing this ghost thing for five years, so technically, yes. But if anyone here is five, I'm pretty sure it's you."

I wasn't expecting the ghost to say that, resulting in me stammering, "J-just shut up." Oh, God, this ghost is seriously getting on my nerves. Why can't time go by any faster?

"I thought you might say that." Its voice is proud, and the ghost earns its thousandth death glare from me. "This one should _definitely_ be something." Lips curling up into a devilish smile, it snaps its fingers once again.

* * *

Next thing I know, the figure and I are stumbling across Miami Mall. It looks just like it normally does. People with shopping bags in hand, some eating snacks in the food court, and others walking and talking with those beside them. Seems like a normal day to me. Though, I don't recognize the memory. This has to be someone else's, not mine. Sure, I've been in the mall billions of times, but not this time. I must have been off somewhere else.

The ghost directs my attention to the two teenage girls sitting at one of the tables next to Mini's – one of them being a short brunette, and the other being a Latina with black curly hair.

"I don't know Trish," the brunette said, picking at her miniature fries. "He's just been acting so different lately. I don't know what to do." A melancholy look is spread across her face; depression starting to seep into her.

Instantly, I knew who she was talking about – me. But, "acting different lately"? How different?

The other girl nodded. "Can you define different for me?" Obviously, she doesn't have all the details for whatever this is about yet.

"I honestly don't really know. It's like he's avoiding me." She stopped picking at her fries, and questioned, "Eh, maybe I'm just paranoid. Couples aren't supposed to spend _all_ their time with each other, right?"

"I guess it kind of depends. When was the last time you two went on a date, hung out, or wrote a song?"

"Well, I think it was-" the girl cut herself off. Furrowing her eyebrows, she pondered about the question asked. The last time we were together? Just the two of us? For some reason, the thought makes me shudder. "I-I don't remember. It's been a while though."

"Oh. Really? Well, why don't you try bringing him somewhere?" the Latina suggested. "You know, beach, ice cream, movies, the pancake house maybe?"

An idea in mind, the brunette smiled in thanks. "Yeah, I think ice cream sounds good for today. Thanks, Trish."

The two stood up for a friendly hug when the black-haired girl pointed in the direction behind the brunette. "Hey, look, there's Austin now."

Looking behind her, the brunette spotted me with both hands in my front pockets. My hair's casually messed up just like always, and I remembered back then that I had only one thing set in my mind.

The one and only skate park.

I almost started to jog towards my destination, but was stopped in my tracks by a bouncy brunette. "Hey Austin!" she greeted me.

Raising an eyebrow, I wondered what the girl wanted. "Oh, hey. What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go grab some ice cream today. How does that sound?"

"Uh," I faltered. Ice cream didn't sound all that great today, so I wasn't too sure of how to cover that up. Plus, I _really_ needed to get to the skate park. My friends and I were having a competition on who had the best skate boarding moves, and I just had to win it. We were in pairs, and to my dismay I ended up with Dez. That dude is my buddy and all, but when it came to skateboarding... It wasn't the easiest task in the world to him. And, arrogantly, I placed a twenty-dollar bet that we would win. Plus if I didn't show up on time, it was an automatic forfeit.

"Actually," I quickly came up with an excuse on not going. In addition, Ally didn't like me going off to the skate park, and for what reason, I didn't know. "I am really tired today. Maybe next time." I walked away without another word, knowing that I'd be late soon if I didn't hurry up.

Watching myself go off to the park, Ally on the other hand had a confused look on her face – almost hurt. She turned around to face her other friend again, and looked down at the ground as if it were something interesting to look at.

What was _her_ problem?

"You're right," the Latina admitted. "He is different. You know, he doesn't look tired to me."

The brunette nodded in agreement and now unsure of what to do next. But then she spoke up, "Do you think I should try again a few more times? Maybe with a different plan?"

"Yeah, maybe. Eh, but it doesn't work out, come visit me at work or wherever. I'll probably be reading a magazine or something; could use some company there."

Rolling her eyes, the girl replied back, "Thanks Trish. But, hopefully everything will work out."

"I'm sure it will."

* * *

The ghost, looking back at me, repeats the same message. "Oh, yeah, everything did work out, didn't it, huh?" I only rolled my eyes back at him. That thing has been rubbing everything in my face, making me hate it even more with each passing second.

"You know what, let's just get this over with." I rub my face with my two hands, already exhausted. I just want to go back to the comfort of my bed, not caring if I couldn't close that window or not. "Can't you make things go faster?"

"Fast enough for everyone to have chipmunk voices? Because I can make that happen."

Raising one eyebrow, I give the figure a weird look. "Seriously?"

"Oh, I know what you meant," it waves off one of its hands. "Eh, but sure. There are more important things to pay attention to anyways, so why not?"

And, of course, the figure does the one thing to make scenes emerge. It snaps its fingers.

* * *

"Oh, hey, Austin!" the girl came up to me. "Do you want to go to the beach today?"

Monotonously, I replied, "I thought you hated the beach." I started to make my way in the opposite direction she was going. I was going over to the park to play a game of football with some other people, and wanted to get there as soon as possible. But still the brunette stopped me from going anywhere else further.

"Well, I thought I'd give it another shot, you know?" Giving me a small smile, she continued, "So, how about it? Wanna go today?" Rocking back and forth from her toes to her heels, she waited for a response from me.

"Sorry, I got plans for today. Maybe next time."

I walked away from the brunette.

* * *

On another ordinary day, I was playing an acoustic guitar in Sonic Boom – just strumming the strings of the instrument randomly though, not much of a song to me. Then, of course, up to me came a bubbly brunette.

"Hey, Austin!" Yep. Those same words that I heard one day after the other. It was like a catchphrase in a television show. "You doing anything today?"

For some reason, I didn't feel in the mood to do anything that day. I was just sitting there, playing some absurd tune on a guitar without much of a care. "Eh, sorry. I just don't feel like doing anything today."

"Oh, well, maybe I could keep you company!" the girl sat next to me on one of the seats in the store. "You trying to come up with a new song? You know, we haven't written anything in a while."

"No, just bored. That's all. But, you should get back to work, you know. Don't waste your time sitting here with me."

Glancing up at the brunette, she blinked – a blank look on her face. And I noticed her skin go pale for some unknown reason along with her starting to play with thumbs. "Oh, okay. If you insist, I guess." And so, the girl got up and went back to working at the counter.

* * *

In the practice room, I sat at the piano playing one of my classic songs – Not a Love Song. It was only the melody of it though; I didn't sing the lyrics that time. Though, as I was playing, I heard the door creak open, and stopped playing.

And to my dismay, I was once again found by the one and only brunette – Ally. Probably came to ask me to go somewhere with her.

"What do you want?" The first thing that comes out of my mouth.

Now that I look back at it, probably not the nicest thing in the world to say.

"Uh," the brunette knitted her eyebrows together. "I just forgot to grab my songbook from over there." She pointed to her leather-bound book laying on one of the chairs; I didn't even realize it was in here. The girl always had her songbook within her sight.

As she clutches the book in her hand, the brunette then exits the room, but before she fully does, she stops herself. "But, Austin?"

"Uh, huh?" There was no interest in my voice during the conversation. I guess I was just out of it today – bored out of my mind.

"I was thinking that maybe if you weren't doing anything that we could-" Oh, this conversation again. Every day it had been the same thing over and over again between us. She asks me if we hang out, I know that I have other plans in mind so I tell it off, and the cycle just repeated itself. Nothing more, nothing less to it.

But to be honest, I was getting sick of it. Nothing fit my mood lately with her. I didn't feel like doing anything, not even my partnership with her.

I felt aggravated.

So, I cut her off – partially unintendedly, "Okay, why the hell have you been so 'clingy' lately?"

Obviously shocked by my use of profanity, the brunette said, "Excuse me? 'Clingy'?"

I stood up from the piano bench and faced her. "Yeah, 'clingy'." I knew what was starting to happen, and what would happen next. As I watched the memory unfold itself, I felt my insides twist into pretzel shapes unimaginable.

Not this memory. The one memory that I dreaded remembering above most. And the one memory that I wished I could forget but couldn't.

I continued, "Don't you realize that I'm busy? I got things to do!"

Noticing the brunette tighten the grip on her book, "Oh, yeah, you're _busy_." She took the time to put air quotes around the last word. "But, gee, I thought you might be a little more considerate to spend some time with your _girlfriend_, you know."

"Hey, I can't spend every _fucking_ second with you, you know! I actually have a life outside of our relationship!" Anger was now bubbling up inside of me as I clenched my fists, digging my nails into the skin of my palms. Had she ever heard of personal space?

"Whoa," I could just tell that my sudden use of different language made her look taken aback. "I know that. But being in a relationship takes commitment, and you obviously aren't showing any! We've been able to handle busy schedules with our relationship before, so why not now?"

"Because things change! This isn't some fairy tale fantasy we're living in!"

"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't still have just a little bit of time for me!" Unsure of what to fire out of my mouth next, I let the girl continue to talk, but still listened despite the steam coming out of my ears. "Austin, I just want to spend some time with you! I don't care if it's just a day, an hour, or just a few minutes. We can't even have a decent conversation! Is that too much to ask for?"

I didn't bother to say anything. The argument was getting intense, and I didn't want to spread the fire through more woods.

"And you know what, maybe if this isn't going to work out for us, then why do I bother to try with you anyway?"

"Can't make this work? Are we just going to break up?"

Silence settled its place in the room momentarily. It was the only sound for a bit, and considering the situation, music to my ears.

The girl stepped aside from the room's door. "Fine, then. I think I've tried long enough, so if this is how it's going to be, just get out of the store."

Really? _Get out of the store?_ I scoffed, "Alright, fine. See if I care you-you-" I wanted to spit some insult back at her, and for a second I wasn't sure I what exactly wanted to say, but just left with, "-bitch."

I slammed the door shut.

After I left the room, the brunette stood with her arms crossed. At first, I expected her to maybe burst into tears like all other girls do in movies, but it seemed to almost be the opposite of that. Instead, her lips seem to curl up into a smile – just a small one. I could barely notice the grin hiding behind the grim atmosphere. She said to herself, "To think, that I actually believed he would keep that _stupid_ promise."

"And to think that I thought change was always good."

* * *

Everything evaporates in front of me in the practice room again, just like last time. And I find the ghost to be stifling a chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing," the ghost says to me. "Just the fact that you gave up a girl who'd do anything for you."

Annoyingly, I roll my eyes at the white figure for just about the hundredth time. "And that's supposed to be funny?"

"Well, for a ghost of love, yeah. It's funny how you humans break up with people that have actually learned that they _love_ you!" Taking a deep breath in seriousness, it continues, "But, sometimes, it's the other person that needs to be taught how to love. Or else it all goes downhill from there."

And for the first time tonight, I actually can't help but agree with him.

* * *

**Er... Not entirely too proud of this chapter. For one, it's definitely a lot shorter than the other ones. Eh, well excluding these author's notes, the chapter itself is about 2500 words, which isn't too bad, I guess. But, yeah... Hopefully y'all still liked it anyway. :P**

**Oh, btw, if I don't get the chance next time... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :) :D**

**And if you don't mind, leave a review for me? :) Until next time!**


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